Unraveling the telomere-mitochondrial axis in colorectal cancer: Results from a prospectively followed cohort

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F00064190%3A_____%2F26%3A10001434" target="_blank" >RIV/00064190:_____/26:10001434 - isvavai.cz</a>

Result on the web

<a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s10020-026-01423-6" target="_blank" >https://doi.org/10.1186/s10020-026-01423-6</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s10020-026-01423-6" target="_blank" >10.1186/s10020-026-01423-6</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Unraveling the telomere-mitochondrial axis in colorectal cancer: Results from a prospectively followed cohort

Original language description

Background Telomere shortening and mitochondrial dysfunction are well-known independent contributors to many diseases, but emerging evidence suggests a reciprocal relationship between the two processes. The role of the so-called telomere-mitochondrial axis in colorectal cancer (CRC) remains largely unknown. Methods This prospective cohort study screened CRC patients who underwent surgery, from whom peripheral blood, intestinal mucosa, and tumor samples were collected. Colonoscopically confirmed cancer- and adenoma-free healthy individuals were screened as controls, from whom peripheral blood and intestinal mucosa samples were obtained. Relative mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA-CN) and relative telomere length (RTL) were measured in all samples by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and were further compared and correlated considering clinical data. Relative mtDNA-CN was quantified using both TaqMan probes and SYBR Green to compare both methods. Finally, multivariable analyses were conducted to investigate the association between both biomarkers and the risk of tumor recurrence and mortality. Results A total of 166 CRC patients and 61 healthy individuals were included in the study. In TNM stage I patients, relative mtDNA-CN and RTL were negatively correlated with each other in intestinal mucosa (rho = -0.77, p &lt; 0.0001), tumor tissue (rho = -0.41, p = 0.032), and the tumor-to-intestinal mucosa ratio (rho = -0.39, p = 0.046). However, these associations disappeared with increasing TNM stage, suggesting a dysregulation of the telomere-mitochondrial axis in advanced disease. Higher relative mtDNA-CN in blood was associated with a lower risk of disease recurrence even after adjusting for multiple covariates (HR = 0.43, 95% CI 0.20-0.97, p = 0.041), highlighting its potential use as a prognostic tool. The quantification of mtDNA-CN performed by both methods -TaqMan probes and SYBR Green- was shown to be positively correlated (p &lt; 0.01). Relative mtDNA-CN and RTL were found to be tissue-dependent in both CRC patients and healthy controls. Conclusions This study provides a novel contribution to the understanding of the almost unexplored telomere-mitochondrial axis in CRC, highlighting its potential role in disease progression and prognosis.

Czech name

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Czech description

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Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

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OECD FORD branch

30212 - Surgery

Project

—

Continuities

V - Vyzkumna aktivita podporovana z jinych verejnych zdroju

Publication year

2026

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

MOLECULAR MEDICINE

ISSN

1076-1551

e-ISSN

1528-3658

Volume of the periodical

32

Issue of the periodical within the volume

1

Country of publishing house

US - UNITED STATES

Number of pages

23

Pages from-to

nestránkováno

UT code for WoS article

001727627000001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-105034680020